1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fishing rod and more particularly to a fishing rod handle formed with one or more cork rings and one or more sensor disks which improve the sensitivity and feel of the rod that is not as brittle or as susceptible to damage as an all graphite handle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Bobber fishing is well known and involves the use of a bobber attached some distance from a fish hook or attached to the end of a fishing line. After the line with bait is cast into the water, the bobber floats on top of the water. When a fish “hits” the hook with bait, the bobber bobs on the surface and thus provides an indication to the fisherman that a fish is “hitting” the bait. Bobber fishing is fairly static in that after the line is cast into the water, the fisherman simply waits for the bobber to bob. While bobber fishing is great for novice fisherman, bobber fishing is limited in the types of fish for which it can be used and is normally used for pan fish, such as blue gill and crappie.
For certain types of fish, such as cat fish which are known to scavenge along water beds, a line is cast out so that the baited hook can rest or be “trolled” along the floor of a waterway basin. Still other types of fish, such as bass, are attracted to moving fish lures. In these types of “bobber-less” fishing, the fisherman must rely on the vibrations of the fishing rod to detect when a fish is “hitting the line”.
There have many developments in the art to indicate when a fish is hitting a line during bobber-less fishing. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,510,709; 5,063,373; 6,094,851 and 7,017,296 as well as US Patent Application No. US 2003/0159325 A1 all disclose devices for fishing rod holders that include some type of sensor for detecting a vibration in the fishing rod or line of the fishing rod being held. The major drawback of this type of device is that it is only useful with fishing rod holders.
Still other developments which increase a fisherman's awareness to vibrations of a fishing line, indicative of a fish hitting a lure or a baited hook, relate to modifications to standard fishing rods. These modifications fall into two categories. The first category relates to the addition of sensors or other components to a fishing rod. The second category relates to the construction of the fishing rod.
The first category includes two sub-categories: mechanical and electronic. With respect to the mechanical sub-category, U.S. Pat. No. 5,910,004 discloses a fishing rod which includes a wrist strap, attached to one end. In this device, any vibrations in the fishing line are translated to a fisherman's forearm. This device is not useful for fishermen with long sleeve shirts or jackets and is cumbersome for the fisherman. British patent publication No. GB 2 398 716 discloses a mechanical arrangement which includes a pivotably mounted lever arm with a wire loop or eye mounted on one end. An axially moveable weight is mounted on the lever arm which allows the sensitivity of the device to be adjusted. A magnet is rigidly attached to the fishing rod. During normal operation, the lever arm is displaced away from the fishing rod. Vibrations in the line cause the lever to rotate toward the fishing rod and removeably attached thereto by the magnet. These types of devices include moving parts and are thus subject to wear and misoperation due to misalignment of the components and are thus complex from a manufacturing standpoint or are cumbersome to use. US Patent Application Publication No. US 2004/0231233 A1 discloses an “amplified” fishing rod handle. The amplified fishing rod handle is formed from a fishing rod with a hollow handle. A plurality of “vibration disks” is disposed in the handle. These vibration disks are in static contact with an interior wall of the handle and the rod. The main drawback with such a configuration is that the effectiveness of the vibration disks will be affected by the medium in which they are immersed. Should the fishing rod inadvertently become immersed in the water so that the hollow handle cavity even partially fills up with water, the sensitivity will be drastically changed.
In order to avoid the problems associated with mechanical type devices as mentioned above, a number of devices for improving a fisherman's awareness of vibrations in a fishing line utilize electronic sensors. Examples of such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,384,425; 5,735,073; 5,867,931; 7,003,912 and 7,140,144 as well as Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. JP 6125681 and JP 2006067982. In general, the devices disclosed in these patents and publications involve the addition of an electronic sensor, such as an accelerometer or electric contact assembly, for sensing vibrations in a fishing line. There are several drawbacks with these types of devices. First, such devices necessitate a battery or other portable power supply. Second, such devices may be subject to catastrophic failure if the fishing rod inadvertently gets submersed in the water.
In order avoid the problems mentioned above, fishing rods have been developed which provide increased sensitivity in the handle without the use of additional mechanical or electronic devices, as mentioned above, for sensing vibrations in fishing rods. Examples of such fishing rods are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,577,432; 4,631,853; US Patent Application Publications US 2003/0188471 A1; US 2006/0185218 A1; and Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. JP 1063327; JP 7099863; JP 9149747; JP 9149748; JP 2001148972; JP 2001178317; JP 2001204306; JP 2003070391 JP 2003164240 and JP 2003230333.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,577,432 and 4,631,853 relate to a fishing rod with a contoured handle grip portion. By providing a contoured grip, normal vibrations are likely to be sensed by the user. However, these fishing rods do not increase or amplify vibrations. In order to increase or amplify vibrations, other known fishing rods have been developed using materials known to increase the flexural stiffness of the rod. For example, US Patent Application Publication No. US 2003/0188471 A1 as well as Japanese Patent Application Publications JP 7099863; JP 9149747; JP 9149748; JP 2001148972 and JP 2003230333 disclose fishing rods with metal reinforcement. Japanese Patent Application JP 2001204306 discloses a fishing rod which is formed with reinforcing ribs along the axis of the rod which increases the flexural stiffness. Such fishing rods are heavier than normal rods and/or have a different feel. US Patent Application Publication US 2006/0185218 A1 discloses a composite fishing rod in which a portion of the fishing rod is filament wound and another portion is not filament wound. Even though the composite fishing rod may have an increased flexural stiffness and thus provide increased sensitivity relative to a normal rod, such a composite rod is relatively complicated from a manufacturing standpoint.
Japanese Patent Application Publications JP 1063327; JP 2001178317; and JP 2003070391 approach the problem of providing increased sensitivity of a fishing rod from a different standpoint. In particular, these publications relate to two piece rods and focus on minimizing vibration losses at the joints. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP 2003164240 relates to a fishing rod wire loop configuration configured to minimize contact between the fishing line and the wire loops until the rod is bent. The rods disclosed in these publications, however, do not provide increased sensitivity to vibration relative to one piece rods.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,369 discloses a graphite fishing rod with a graphite handle. Graphite has a higher flexural stiffness than cork. As such, the handle itself provides greater sensitivity to vibration than known fishing rods. Unfortunately, the graphite handle provides a different feel than fishing rods with cork handles. Moreover, graphite is relative brittle and thus is susceptible to breakage. Thus, there is a need for a fishing rod with improved sensitivity to vibration which has essentially the same feel as a fishing rod with a cork handle which is not as susceptible to breakage as an all graphite handle.